1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flywheel disk having a cylindrical rim portion designed to separate from the disk in the event of flywheel overspeed and a flywheel barrier device to control overspeed and retain fragmented rim particles from a partially failed flywheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flywheel energy devices have been known for thousands of years; however, recent developments in the state of the art have resulted in increased efficiency.sup.(1) wherein better configurations and better materials are utilized in flywheel fabrication so that higher rotational speeds are possible. As larger, faster flywheels are built more energy is stored in the flywheel resulting in more destructive forces generated if the wheel should fail. Consequently, massive safety barriers are fabricated to contain this potentially destructive force. The result, of course, is a cumbersome and heavy flywheel energy system not well suited for some power system applications. FNT (1) where efficiency is defined as stored energy per unit mass or per unit volume.
While flywheel systems are well known in the prior art, no one has developed a simple method to prevent flywheel overspeeding. Nor, apparently, has anyone attempted to minimize the catastrophic potential of an overstressed overspeeding flywheel.